A typical portable pumping system includes a piston or pump that forces products lubricants, sealants, etc.) through a high pressure hose and fittings. The product is fed to the hose and fittings from an attached barrel containing bulk product or cartridges containing the same. A closure or cap is normally threaded on the product barrel that can be selectively removed to provide access to the interior of the product barrel. This general type of system is used in a number of industries. For example, for the servicing and maintenance of valves, a user unthreads the closure from the product barrel of the pumping system and drops a grease cartridge or stick of grease into the product barrel. The user then rethreads the closure onto the product barrel. With the closure tightly threaded on the product barrel, the pump or piston of the system is actuated to compress the grease through the high pressure hose and fittings. When servicing a valve, at least one of the fittings can be mechanically attached to the valve and the grease can be introduced from the high pressure hose and fitting into the valve to cause the valve to remain lubricious or to stop a leak.
Unfortunately, such a pumping system tends to suffer from a number of drawbacks. For example, threading and unthreading the closure from the product barrel normally requires two hands and can be time consuming and labor intensive. One will appreciate that the connection and removal of the closure from the product barrel can be particularly difficult and cumbersome when the user's hands are greasy. Indeed, due to the difficultly of threading on the closure, the closure can be easily dropped or otherwise damaged during installation. Additionally, the threaded connection between the product barrel and the conventional closure can tend to back out or unthread in response to the buildup of pressure within the system. Further, with a conventional closure, there can be a violent decompression of the pumping system when the closure is unthreaded from the product barrel. In the case of systems operating at higher pressures, this can be particularly dangerous or evenly deadly for an operator.
Accordingly, manufacturers and users of portable pumping systems continue to seek closure and portable pumping system designs that are quicker, safer, and more convenient.